Vegan-friendly
Chinese
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
Asian
Taiwanese

Chinese restaurant located above Noodle Kingdom with access via a lift. Has vegetable dishes, stir frys, rice plates, and mock meats. Simple, pleasant decor. Re-opened following renovation, Dec 2016. Note that not all alcohol is confirmed to be vegan-friendly (wine is not vegan friendly. Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-3:00pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm.


Venue map for Gong De Lin
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120 Reviews

First Review by KingKong

LisaSpykers

Points +6852

Vegan
22 Apr 2022

Could've been better...

I'll start with the food. It all tasted pretty good: sweet and sour pork, hedgehog mushrooms, and bao buns, but unfortunately, we both had upset stomachs afterwards. The portion sizes were very small for the amount they cost too (roughly $20 a plate).

While I appreciate they were super busy, it took a very long time to make an order, and the rice didn't come out with the meal, so after several minutes, I need to ask about that too. It was a disorderly and chaotic environment and felt very overpriced for the kind of experience we had.

mopdecoul

Points +55

Vegetarian
09 Apr 2022

Try the sweet and sour pork

One of the best. Never disappoints. Love going places where you can select anything off the menu

ambyeats

Points +83

Vegan
08 Apr 2022

Chaos

Had heard great things about this place so thought it was a must visit while in Melbourne, but from the second we stepped into this restaurant it was utter chaos. We were seated at a table that was quite literally at the reception area so when guests walked in, they circled around our table. That wouldn’t be so bad if the restaurant had a reservation system beyond recording their bookings on the back of an old envelope (yes, really). For 1.5 hours we listened to group after group walk in, mention their reservation and staff had no knowledge of it. Some bookings were forced to wait for their tables for 30 minutes, but most just chose to leave as there was simply no room left to stand. The poor staff are clearly overwhelmed and run off their feet, which meant our order wasn’t taken for half an hour. All of this could have been overlooked if the food was as good as the hype, but it was bland and overpriced. I’m honestly not the kind of person to normally leave a negative review, but please don’t waste your time here. If I could give 0 stars, I would.

Updated from previous review on 2022-04-08

tinybeans

Points +52

Vegan
03 Apr 2022

Amazing food!

I've seen some negative reviews here that are soooo different to my experiences coming here so i'll summarise in short points how my experience was!

Positives:
- Absolutely amazing food and beautiful texture
- Kind and polite staff despite being very visibly busy
- So many foods to choose from!!

Neutral:
- I recommend booking a table to make sure you have a seat, it can get very busy during peak hours!
- The staff are very busy especially in peak hour so the food may be delayed but they are trying their best!

Negatives:
- That. Damn. Elevator.
- It definitely can be pricey
- The food portions are sometimes smaller, sometimes bigger

Pros: Absolutely amazing food and beautiful texture, Kind and polite staff despite being very busy, So many foods to choose from!!

Cons: The elevator, It definitely can be pricey, The food portions can be smaller sometimes

Lyndle

Points +395

Vegan
28 Mar 2022

Delicious

Yummy food and lovely staff. Beef and black bean was amazing!

Pros: Huge vegan menu, Delicious food , Friendly staff

Lornaowl

Points +57

Vegan
07 Mar 2022

Massive menu!

Really busy but still welcoming. Mind boggling array of choices and excellent food. We had steamed dumplings, Peking Duck and sweet and sour pork

Pros: Vegan , Massive number of choices, Friendly

RM108

Points +67

Vegan
19 Feb 2022

Pricey, forced to pay cash, not tasty

While menu is extensive, food options were not tasty despite the high prices and very small unfilling portions. Staff unfriendly and not great service. Makes it particularly awkward when they ask for tips even when dishes are priced highly, which induces you to pay cash instead and makes you query whether this business supports the black economy. However, good to see that there is one Chinese restaurant that doesn't have meat.

Pros: Chinese that doesn't have meat

Cons: Forced tipping, Food taste, small portions, high prices, Difficult to access

Veggielife_1

Points +209

Vegetarian
29 Jan 2022

Nothing great

We stopped at Gong De Lin for dinner. The food was very average considering the steep prices. Customer service was terrible - we weren't even given water and drinking glasses. Staff were a bit rude and gave preference to those who had booked a table even though the restaurant was empty at the time we were there. Had to wait a long time for the food to arrive while those with bookings who arrived and were seated after us were got their meals earlier. Wouldn't visit here again.

JanisShoesmith

Points +135

Vegan
19 Jan 2022

Great find

Great vegan Chinese food. My non vegan friends enjoyed the food too. The staff are friendly. The restaurant is up a floor of a building that you could miss and only reached by a small lift. Have been a few times and have not been disappointed.
Just a bit pricey

Pros: Great food, Friendly staff

Cons: A little pricey

RachaelBlyth

Points +213

Vegan
07 Jan 2022

Worth a try

Was looking for vegan options in Melbourne and came across this on Happy Cow. Definitely glad we tried it as it was interesting to try all the mock meats and a lot of traditional Chinese items you can’t often get vegan!

The food was not bad. The only issues was our special fried rice was burnt and the lemon chicken was a bit on the soggy side. Overall definitely worth a try for the novelty, but didn’t really blow my socks off if I’m honest.

This was during a huge Covid surge in Melbs though so unsure if all their normal cooks and staff were there?

It was a bit more on the pricey side for what we got.

Pros: Huge menu, Lovely staff

Cons: A little more expensive than we thought , Burnt fried rice

Snailwhisperer

Points +1065

Vegan
06 Jan 2022

Huge variety

Spoilt for choice here, there so much variety on the menu, with dishes separated nicely into sections like a regular menu (mock meat, seafood, mushroom etc)
The sweet and sour pork was tasty, I would have liked a little more veg with it. My partner thoroughly enjoyed the sizzling beef in pepper sauce.
My only faulting feedback was the vegetable fried rice was very bland.
Nice enough atmosphere, cozy and casual feel. Very well priced menu.

AbbyMcNeill

Points +127

Vegan
02 Jan 2022

Hidden Vegan Gem

Fully vegan but labels vegetarian as some of the wines are not vegan.. food was amazing! Loved the sweet & sour pork!

Pros: Cheap, So many choices

Cons: Busy!! Small space

E2VSImmigration

Points +23

Herbivore
30 Nov 2021

Great Environment

I've been there last week and this is very special place for me. I come here every weekend for enjoy with family or friends

san7iagonp

Points +172

Vegan
14 Nov 2021

Awesome Chinese food

Loved the food. Very friendly service

YohanⓋ

Points +5666

Vegan
18 Jun 2021

Hit and miss, but improving!

Sometimes the food here is tasty, depending on what I order. The dishes I have ordered in the past have looked quite different from the menu pictures and have been pretty bland. The pancake is sometimes amazing and so times quite plain and lacking salt and flavour. The wines are currently not vegan but I asked them to try and source some and the lady said she would. Friendly staff

Update 29/11/2020 - We really enjoyed our food today. Very tasty, another star added!

Updated from previous review on 2020-11-29

Pros: Fully vegan apart from the wines. , Large variety of food. , Staff are friendly

Cons: Sometimes tasty but mostly not so much. , A little on the pricey side

KatherineLat

Points +546

Vegan
10 Jun 2021

Good food, but staff could be nicer

The food here was good. I loved my meal (rice noodles) although some of my omni friends were less convinced by the mock meat. The interior area wasn’t so nice but we got a booth near the window which I would definitely recommend, it was lovely looking out in the city. Meals were all really well-priced too. Main issue was with staff at the end - we felt quite pressured by the woman to leave a tip, and when we didn’t the staff were suddenly a lot less friendly. It was a really disappointing experience for me because all my friends had been happy there until that happened, and it’s not often they all agree to try somewhere vegan with me. I would probably return again but only because there aren’t any other vegan options that nearby.

Pros: Tasty food, Good prices, Nice window booth seats

Cons: Felt pressured to tip, Staff no longer friendly after no tip given

johneleh

Points +244

Vegan
07 May 2021

Lunchtime delicious!

Entirely vegan menu with pages and pages to select from. Upstairs 3rd level (lift access) with booths and tables.
Food was delicious, service was great and prices very reasonable.

Pros: Entirely vegan menu

gypsy_soulⓋ

Points +1654

Vegan
03 May 2021

Great menu range and tasty food

This is my second visit and I really enjoyed everything I ordered. I particularly love the crispy vegetable pancake as a starter and the noodle dishes are pretty tasty

Updated from previous review on 2020-11-29

Pros: Tasty food, Well priced, Great menu range

tammikest

Points +40

Vegan
04 Apr 2021

One of the best for Vegan Chinese

Love this place! Very cute setting and all the food is delicious. Try the spicy tofu clay pot, and the seafood one! Can’t go past the Peking duck pancakes as well!

AnnyNy

Points +749

Vegan
31 Mar 2021

Great food

Super tasty. Crazy many options. Maybe even too many. Lovely staff. Fair prices

Pros: Tasty, Staff

Cons: Hard to choose, too many options

JadeFlorenceMulvaney

Points +104

Vegan
27 Mar 2021

Amazing! No onion or garlic! Perfect for us

We eat Buddhist or an chay usually so no onion or nightshades and here they have that option as well as being delicious and vegan. Love their pineapple pork and their dumplings. Great for huge gatherings which we’ve had as they do large tables and the food is quick!

Pros: The food, No onion or garlic, Fast service and food

Cons: Nothing! Everything was excellent

PaulBroersen

Points +50

Vegan
14 Mar 2021

Love this place

I have been here a few times and I always leave satisfied. I usually don't stray far from my favourite dishes, including the sizzling black pepper beef and sweet and sour pork. The black pepper beef is so good!

Pros: Loads of options, Delicious food

MargaBouten

Points +178

Vegan
13 Mar 2021

So much choice

Delicious vegan food my only problem is I order and eat way too much

Pros: All vegan , SO MANY CHOICES , Fast service

Cons: None

AbdullahAzhar

Points +59

Vegan
03 Feb 2021

Favourite

Absolutely amazing restaurant, the owner is ridiculously nice, the staff are also friendly, they especially treat activists amazingly well. The food is also incredible, any non vegan I’ve brought here are always amazed and the prices for the food is also really good. I recommend the Veg chicken curry with rice or the hot pot with rice on the side if you have an especially big appetite.

Pros: Fully vegan, Absolutely delicious , The most amazing staff

Cons: Sometimes too crowded, everyone wants to eat here

BennyTheVeganEgg

Points +194

Vegan
13 Jun 2020

Great Chinese restaurant

It's a very nice restaurant where you can try vegan versions of so many weird things, like sea cucumbers or shark fin soup.

Quinniemay

Points +99

Vegan
11 Jun 2020

Huge meals for an awesome price

I couldn't believe I walked past this place for months and never knew it was here! The menu is extensive with so much to choose from and the meals are huge! I definitely ordered too much the first time I went but everything was delicious!

l0vec0urtney

Points +485

Vegan
28 Mar 2020

Delicious All-vegan Food!!!

I was lucky enough to get taken to Gong De Lin on my birthday and WOW it was amazing!!
The service was good, the menu was huge with lots of options both vegetable dishes and mock meat dishes.
We opted for the ‘hot and spicy chick’n’ dish, salt n pepper ‘squid’ and the duck pancakes. All were absolutely amazing. I would definitely go again and highly recommend.




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